Paradise Lost are a gothic metal band that formed in 1988 in Halifax, England. The band's 1991 album, Gothic, was a seminal album in the doom/death genre. Paradise Lost gradually polished its sound during the mid-90s and started incorporating electronic instrumentation beginning with their 1997 album, One Second. With 2002's Symbol of Life, Paradise Lost diminished its use of electronic elements in favour of a return to a guitar-oriented approach. Paradise Lost has proven to be influential, with Jonas Renkse of Katatonia saying that his band started off "as Paradise Lost fanboys".

Their line-up has remained stable for such a long-standing heavy metal band, consisting of singer Nick Holmes, guitarists Greg Mackintosh and Aaron Aedy, and bassist Steve Edmondson. Holmes and Mackintosh are the principal composers, with almost all of the band's songs credited to them. During the years, the band has only changed drummers.